


if only we'd known

by Phoenix_Allura (Artemis_Autumn_Marie)



Series: Nix's Thominho Week 2019 [2]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Familiars, M/M, Magic, Nightmares, Spells & Enchantments, Thominho Week, Thominho Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 20:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19448815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Autumn_Marie/pseuds/Phoenix_Allura
Summary: Thomas is just trying to get through his day without ancient spells. Then Teresa calls, and his next couple of weeks just snowball from there.





	if only we'd known

Thomas pressed forward in the crowd, hands tight to his bag. He and Teresa had plans, and he wasn’t going to let his ex ruin it.

Then his phone rang.

“Hey Tom, hope you don’t mind, I’m bringing Brenda, Newt, and Minho!” His sister sang.

“Teresa, you don’t need to set me up-”

“Oh, hush, Brenda’s my girlfriend, you know that-”

“Minho and I will be the only single ones there, Teresa, and if I know you, you’re planning some super obscure ritual for today that we don’t need other people for.”

“It’s a really simple one, but it’s old, and it’s going to be so much fun!”

“How old?”

“… Old enough that there’s little mention of it on the internet.”

“Teresa.” Thomas groaned. “Please, anything else. I don’t want to deal with an ancient ritual today, not on top of everything else.”

“You need to get over this guy. And everything else?”

“You know, work and University.”

“Capital U or lowercase u?”

“Capital.”

“You got in?!”

“I applied. For summer courses.”

“You should apply to be a full-time student.”

“I don’t have a familiar, Resa, I can’t, and it’s not like I can afford it.”

“You’ll get in for summer courses. You should do the ritual soon.”

“The time isn’t right, Teresa.”

“And who told you that?”

“I’ll know when it’s time, Teresa.”

“You’re nineteen, Thomas! You’ve been saying that for three years.”

“Yes, and the time still isn’t right. I’ve got to let you go, I’ll see you in a few.” He had a ritual planned, but it wasn’t Teresa’s place to know, even as a hereditary witch, one who had chosen not to follow the path of their ancestors. She didn’t study formally, only casting the number of spells required to keep her alive. Thomas glanced into his bag, tucking it closer to his side. His acceptance letter gleamed up at him.

“So, this spell is simple. Minho and Thomas, you’ll cast it.” Teresa clapped her hands together.

“Teresa, what are the side effects? You said there’s not a lot of information on this spell, are we sure it’s safe?”

“Yes. The only changes noted in previous participants was a closeness with the person they cast it with.”

“She’ll never let us leave if we don’t cast, Thomas, better just get it over with.” Minho flashed a half-smile at him.

“Fine.” Thomas rolled up his sleeves and glanced at the spell. He could translate it if he had a lot of time, but reading it in its original form would have to work.

“Αυτό μπορεί να σας φέρει πιο κοντά, στο πνεύμα της καρδιάς και του πνεύματος, συνδυάζοντάς σας ως ένα.” He began. He and Minho would alternate, then finish together.

“Μήπως ο δεσμός σας μεγαλώνει όλο και πιο δυνατός, μπορεί να υπάρξει πάντα στο μυαλό του άλλου.” Minho didn’t break his gaze.

“Μπορεί αυτή η πράξη, όταν γίνει, να γίνει με πρόθεση και με συγκατάθεση, διότι θα κάνει τους δεσμούς να είναι σταθεροί και να αγαπούν αιώνια.” Thomas offered a smile. Whatever Teresa thought this did, it better not make them enemies.

“Καθώς αυτός ο γάμος στέκεται, αδιαίρετος, μπορεί να αισθάνεσαι τα κύματα του προβλήματος και να τα φέρεις καλά, ποτέ να βυθίζεις, να επιπλέεις στην αγάπη.” The circle separating them flamed, white, blue, green, and yellow, and then something pulled them inside.

“Are they okay?” Thomas heard Brenda ask, but none of them could touch the circle.

“As it has been said, let it be done.” A voice intoned from some other realm. Demons could be so dramatic sometimes. He and Minho were lifted gently out of the circle and placed outside the flames, again facing each other.

“As it has been said, let it be done,” Thomas repeated, and the flames dimmed.

“As it has been said, let it be done.” Minho glanced at him before looking to the flames, burning themselves out.

“That was interesting!” Teresa was writing down everything, and Newt had filmed the whole thing.

“We’re not trying it again today, Teresa, I’ve got to get into work and then confirm my apprenticeship.”

“You work too hard, Tommy, relax,” Newt said.

“I do try. Seems to end up being a disaster every time.” Last time he’d relaxed according to someone else’s definition, things had exploded. He’d been in the hospital for two months, and then at the healers for magical burns for another two weeks.

“Let him relax his way, Newt.” Teresa cut in, clearly remembering last time. “He’s right, it doesn’t end well.”

“Aren’t you taking science courses at the community college, too?” Minho asked.

“No, I’m transferring next year to get my degree at Silver Oak. I can tell you about it later if you’re interested.” Thomas had only told Teresa about that, so unless she was spread his business around, how did Minho know?

“Well, go have fun doing boring grown-up people things!”

“Of course, Teresa.” Thomas checked his watch; he had half an hour to spare if he walked, with no traffic.

“Tom, are you on break? Call me when you are.” What could Teresa need that she called when she had seen him not two hours before.

“Teresa, it’s Thomas, I’ll call you after work.” Thomas slipped his phone in his pocket. He couldn’t afford to get caught on his phone, even during his break; he’d get fired and he needed the money.

“Hey, Teresa, I just got off shift. What is it you needed to talk about?”

“Brenda and I were doing more research on that ritual you did with Minho today. It’s got three parts, all to be done three days apart, in three different locations. So we’re going to yours next, and then finishing at Minho’s.”

“Does it say why, Teresa?”

“No.”

“Have you managed to translate the actual spell?”

“No, but I don’t think we should. This is an old spell, and doing it the original way is least likely to cause problems.” Thomas ran a hand through his hair.

“I can see that. I’ll see you in a few days, Teresa.”

“Watch out for any fairies, Tom, remember the rules!”

“Yes, Teresa.” Thomas rolled his eyes. Pretty much everyone had some fairy blood these days; both their parents were quarter fairy, at least. He hung up and practically ran home; he needed to start writing his formal words for his familiar ritual.

“I think,” Minho looked around slowly, “that is this the first time I’ve seen your apartment. How’d you get such a big one so close to campus?”

“I need the ritual space.” Thomas shrugged. It was expensive but totally worth it.

“Do you have a room just for rituals?”

“Yeah, and a spare room. If this is draining, you can stay there tonight.”

“Okay. When are the others coming?”

“Teresa and Brenda should be here in a few, Newt and Alby couldn’t make it. Oh, and put these on. Teresa said the first part didn’t specify any ritual clothing, but the second and third do.”

“Yeah, old spells can be like that. It’s like they realized after starting it that it needed to be done slightly differently.” Minho ducked into the spare room to change, and Thomas slipped into the woven red robe; he’d noticed earlier that his was trimmed with purple and Minho’s with gold.

“So we’re matching?” Minho asked as Thomas stepped into his ritual room.

“I guess.” Thomas heard the door open. Finally, Teresa and Brenda were here.

“Do you both have the spell?” Teresa asked, out of breath.

“Yes, Teresa. And the circle is already drawn and cast.”

“Good. We can get started right away. Opposite each other again, but on different sides than last time.” Teresa took over for a few minutes. “Alright, you’re ready. Brenda and I are your witnesses… Brenda, are you going to film this?” Brenda held up her phone.

“Got it.”

“Let me pull this out…” Teresa grabbed her notebook and a pencil. “Alright, we’re ready. Start whenever you want. Oh, and Minho, you have to start this time.” Thomas locked eyes with Minho, then glanced at the spell.

“Με σας, θα δοκιμάσω νέα και ασυνήθιστα πράγματα. Θα σας δείξω καθημερινά την αγάπη μου, τη φροντίδα μου. Είμαι ατελής, όπως όλοι είμαστε, αλλά εξακολουθώ να δεσμεύομαι να σέβομαι τα μοναδικά ταλέντα, τα ενδιαφέροντά σας, τις ικανότητές σας και τις ιδιορρυθμίες σας. Πιστεύω σε εσένα και όλα τα όνειρά σου.” The words seemed to flow off Minho’s tongue. Thomas breathed, then began.

“Θα γελάσουμε περισσότερο από ό, τι κλάψουμε, αγαπάμε ο ένας τον άλλον μέσα από τις βροχές, τον άνεμο και τις γεμάτες ηλιοφάνεια ημέρες. Είμαι ευγνώμων για κάθε στιγμή που είμαι αρκετά τυχερός που ξοδεύω μαζί σας.” Unlike the first time, the words came more naturally, fell in a smooth stream off his tongue. This time, Thomas was prepared when he was pulled inside the circle, the flames now red, gold, and purple, higher, blocking Teresa and Brenda from view. Another voice spoke, a different one, higher:

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” As it has been said, let it be done. Latin this time. Why? They spent a few moments more in the circle before being carried through the flames and back into their positions.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” Minho repeated it first, glancing at him. Once wasn’t weird, maybe just a demon messing around. Twice, in a different language, with two different voices… it was nothing Thomas had ever heard of before. The flames didn’t do anything this time, though.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” Thomas said slowly. The flames stayed the same.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” Minho said again. Thomas shook his head… maybe they had to say it at the same time. He nodded at Minho to say it again, and spoke with him.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” The flames dimmed.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” Now they were at Minho’s thighs.

“Quod, sicut dictum est, illud fieri.” Finally, finally the flames were gone and the spell ended.

“That was different, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before.” Brenda frowned. “What’s the next step?”

“Three more days, Brenda. At Minho’s.”

“Should we send this to your parents? They’ll know about it, right?”

“No, let’s wait until we’re finished.” Teresa noticed that Thomas and Minho were still standing around the circle. “You two go change or something. Take a nap. Thomas, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’ll take you up on that spare room, Thomas.” Minho smiled lazily at him. “I don’t think I’d make it home.” Thomas smiled back at him.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Thomas woke up screaming.

He wasn’t sure why–it hadn’t happened in a few months, and certainly not to this extreme. But he had woken up screaming, which meant a night wandering around the apartment.

Minho was here.

Thomas could only hope he hadn’t woken him, but when his door creaked open, he knew that was out the window.

“Thomas, you’re safe, whatever it is, it’s in your dreams, it can’t get you.” Minho was murmuring, speaking softly, gently, like he would to a scared animal.

Thomas was still screaming. He took a deep breath, then another, and slowly calmed.

“There you go. Do you remember your dream?” Minho’s eyes were soft, worried. Thomas shook his head.

“No,” He croaked–how would he be able to talk at work tomorrow?–“I almost never do.”

“Do you have any Nightmare stocked?” Thomas shook his head again, and Minho sat next to him on the bed.

“Okay. When I was younger, I got nightmares all the time. It always helped when I had someone near me. Do you mind if we share the bed?”

Thomas just tugged on his arm.

“I’m guessing that’s a no, then.” Minho untangled Thomas from his covers; he always thrashed in during his dreams, and got under them. They lay facing each other for a few long moments before Minho pulled Thomas’s head to his chest.

“You’re breathing a little too fast for my liking, Thomas, try to match mine.” Thomas fell asleep to Minho’s soothing heartbeat.

Minho let out a shaky breath, careful not to wake Thomas. He knew all about the triple explosion just before Thomas’s sixteenth birthday; surely that was what the dream had been about. He pushed Thomas’s hair back from his forehead. If his nights were often like this, and he didn’t keep Nightmare stocked… then he must not sleep all that much. Minho resolved, in the privacy of his own mind, to make sure Thomas wasn’t overdoing it. He closed his eyes, missing the flashes of light that surrounded them–white, blue, green, yellow, red, gold, and purple.

Thomas woke with his alarm, beeping steadily, wrapped in Minho’s arms.

“Min, I gotta go get ready for work.”

“You need to sleep more.”

“I have work first, and so do you.” Minho finally sat up, seemingly unashamed to have turned into a koala overnight.

“Fine. Should we grab lunch today? At that cafe you like?” Minho asked.

“I’ve got class today, and then another shift at work. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow will be fine.”

“Do you have any clothes? My stuff won’t fit you.”

“It’s not a big deal, I’ll just change when I get home after work.”

“Okay.” Thomas pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt. “You’re welcome to stay and take a shower and eat breakfast, if you need, but I’ve got to head out. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Thomas grabbed his bag, an apple, and rushed out the door before Minho could respond. His tips today should be enough to pay off the final cost of his rent this month, and then he could go back to saving.

Thomas glanced at his phone. This was the third time Teresa had called him during his lunch with Minho.

“Take it. It must be something important.” Minho sipped at his coffee. Their food had yet to come.

“Teresa once called me ten times in a row to tell me that she had a bruise,” Thomas told him. They’d been much younger, of course, but what did that matter?

“Tom, thanks to the stars. What took you so long?” Teresa rattled off.

“I’m out to lunch with Minho.”

“Oh, you are? How’s that going?”

“It’s going just fine, Teresa. Why are you calling?”

“Just wanted to check on you!”

“Mom and Dad found out, didn’t they.” Thomas rolled his eyes at his phone.

“Not yet, but Mom suspects something. Have fun on your date, I’ll call you later!” Teresa hung up before Thomas could get another word out.

“You’re going to have fun when you get home, aren’t you?” Minho teased.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Hey, do you work tomorrow afternoon?”

“No.”

“Do you want to meet my familiar?” Most people didn’t go everywhere with theirs; in some cases, it would be a bit of a hassle.

“Sure. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you summon your familiar?”

“Just with the normal ritual. Your room would work well.”

“No, I’m going to the woods tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a great plan.” Their food finally arrived, and Minho, rather oddly, insisted that Thomas try some of everything on his plate.

“Did you have any nightmares last night?” Minho asked quietly.

“Yeah, pretty early. I slept all of an hour last night.”

“Why don’t you take Nightmare?”

“I did, at first, but I got pretty badly addicted in a really short time, so my healer and I decided I should try other methods of curing nightmares.”

“There’s a gym at my complex, and I’ve got a few dozen tins of herbs left over from when Newt lived with me, if you want to try pure exhaustion and tea tonight.”

“Sure, I guess.” Since when had Minho become so invested in his health?

“Alright. See you at six?”

“Yeah.” Minho stood and they went their separate ways. As Minho crossed out of his view, Thomas realized he’d been staring– and that he was filled with a strange longing for his friend.

Thomas didn’t know why, but at work, all he could think about was Minho. He nearly missed four orders and Janson was eyeing him now. If he didn’t step it up he would be in trouble.

“Take a break, Thomas.” Gally, one of his coworkers, muttered. “Better yet, go home. I think you’re getting sick. I’ll cover for you.” Thomas nodded. It was only three, and he was supposed to work until five.

“Janson, Thomas is sick, he’s going home. I’ll cover his shift for today.” Gally called. Thomas ducked out from behind the counter.

“Fine. I expect to see you Monday.” Thomas nodded and hurried out the back before Janson could change his mind. Now maybe he could figure out what was going on with him.

Thomas didn’t figure it out before it time to go meet Minho at his apartment. As it was, Minho greeted him differently, which certainly did not help. He’d known Minho was strong, but it was quite a different thing to feel those arms wrapped around him and have his face pressed firmly against Minho’s chest.

“How often do you work out?” Minho asked as he pulled away.

“Almost never, but I run every day.”

“So we’ll start with strength training and end on the treadmills.”

“How long is the gym open?”

“All night.”

“We’re not working out all night, Minho.”

“No, I don’t expect you to. A few hours at the most. Just until you’re good and tired.” Thomas nodded.

“Alright, let’s start.” Minho walked him through a few exercises, then left him on his own for a while to go start his own workout. “I’ll come grab you when I’m done with the first part of my workout.”

“Okay.” Thomas didn’t look at him, focusing on the motions instead. It seemed safer.

“And Thomas?”

“What?”

“Don’t stop when it starts to burn, but if it becomes actual pain, stop immediately.”

“Yes, Minho.” Thomas rolled his eyes.

The night passed quickly enough, ending with Thomas collapsing, sore and ready to pass out, on Minho’s couch.

“Dude, you’ll hate yourself in the morning if you sleep in that position, and you know it. Go shower and change, and I’ll make some tea.” Thomas nodded and dragged himself to Minho’s bathroom.

“Thomas, I’m leaving you a shirt and pants outside the door. They’ll be a little big on you, but that’s fine.” Thomas dried his hair and opened the door just enough to grab the clothes. When he had dropped himself back onto the couch, Minho shoved a cup of tea at him.

“Oh, and this is Cherry, short for Charlotte.” A miniature saber tooth tiger walked along Minho’s shoulders.

“You’re certainly a beauty,” Thomas murmured to her. Cherry jumped to his lap, careful not to disturb his tea, and inspected him closely.

“I can’t wait to see what familiar you get, Thomas, it’s sure to be a good one.”

“I hope so.” Thomas yawned.

“Drink your tea. I’ll carry you to bed when I’m done with my shower. Cherry, please make sure Thomas doesn’t die or anything.” Thomas took a sip of his tea, trying to figure out was in it. Lemongrass, magical sage, vanilla, the base of all teas Newt drank. But there was usually at least one more ingredient… so what was it? Thomas kept sipping slowly, thoughts stopping at every station to look around, sometimes not coming back at all.

“Hey, Thomas, think you can stand for me?” Thomas blinked up at Minho. “I’m going to take that as a no. You done with your tea yet?” Thomas shook his head and clutched the cup to him. It tasted so good, he just wanted to finish it…

“I’m not going to take it from you. I’ll get my own cup, and when you’re done we’ll go to bed.” When Minho returned, Thomas mustered up the energy required to speak.

“What else is in this?”

“Ice Blossom and Dream Flower. Newt swears by them for sleepless nights. You’re almost out already, so it must be working.” Minho continued to speak in a low voice, maybe to him, maybe to Cherry.

“Alright, you’re done.” Minho pried his cup from his fingers and then lifted him up. “Are you okay with sharing a bed again?” Thomas nodded, sleepy. Minho was warm, and if he left then Thomas would be cold. Thomas was placed against cold sheets, Minho following him a minute after.

“Just sleep, okay? No nightmares tonight.” Thomas nodded, warm again, and finally drifted off into pleasant dreams.

Thomas woke up before Minho and slipped out of the bed. If he was going to stay here much longer, he really ought to make breakfast… but Minho didn’t seem to keep food anywhere, so instead he left a note: ‘Gone to grab food.’ When he got back, Minho was still asleep, so Thomas just jumped on the bed like the small child he was and woke him up.

“I got you breakfast. Get up and eat.” Thomas informed him.

“Of course, dear,” Minho mumbled as he sat up. “Where’d you go?”

“Just the place across the street.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Maybe another hour. I’ve got to get to the forest, remember? And tomorrow I’ll be back here because we still have to complete that ritual.”

“Oh, right.” Minho dragged the comforter with him when he got out of bed. “Thanks for breakfast, Thomas.”

“Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”

“We’re going to be doing this all morning, aren’t we?” Minho asked dryly. Thomas started laughing. “Well, eat up, Thomas, I want to meet your familiar.”

“Fine, fine.” Thomas shook his head at Minho playfully. He was wondering, too, what his familiar would be.

“Maybe your familiar will let you pick a name for it. Cherry picked hers, though.”

“We’ll see later today. Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll bring my familiar with me tomorrow.”

“Maybe? And only if I’m nice? Thomas, you wound me.” Minho placed a hand over his heart dramatically. “Cherry, you are the only one who truly loves me!” Cherry hopped off Minho’s shoulder and crossed the table to Thomas.

“I have been abandoned by everyone, truly.” Minho laughed, then settled with a serious look on his face. “So, Thomas, do you think you’ll find more than one familiar? Newt has two, and Alby has four.”

“I don’t know. My mother has three, and so have all of the female line in her family, from the time we started using familiars. My dad hasn’t found a familiar, and I don’t think he really cares to, either.”

“Is one of your mom’s familiars passed down?”

“Yes, the owl has been passed through family lines through generations. We’re always selling or setting owl chicks free; we only keep a couple at a time.”

“Are you going to get the owl?”

“Maybe after my mother’s death. I don’t think Teresa is likely to claim it. If she wants to, she can. If not, it will pass to me on the condition that I give it to any daughter I may have, and that the daughter who receives the owl takes my mother’s family name.”

“That’s a lot of conditions.”

“It’s written in the magical contract of our family; we review it every decade or so.”

“Interesting.” Thomas finished his eggs and Cherry swiped her tail over his face before heading back to Minho.

“I guess that means I ought to leave.” Thomas smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Minho.” He had to go back to his apartment and get his bag, but he was most concerned about his formal calling words. His family hadn’t interacted with a full-blooded fairy in generations, but they’d passed down the language and dialects as well as they could. Only the first and last few lines would be said in the mish-mash dialect that he spoke; the rest would be in Italian, his mother’s native human language, and Latin, because Latin.

“Thomas! There you are! I was just about to call you.”

“Teresa, what are you doing in my apartment?”

“A better question is what are you not doing in your apartment?”

“I was at Minho’s. I have to go, Teresa, I’ll talk to you later.” Thomas grabbed his things from his room, glad that they’d grown out of that habit at least. Teresa would never let him hear the end of it if she found out he had set up a familiar ritual without even telling her.

It was at least a two-hour drive out to the forest he had chosen for his ritual space. It gave him time to think about what familiar he hoped for: A bird, like his mother, a tiger, like Minho, or something else. But he didn’t get to choose. Either an animal would accept him or it wouldn’t. The most he could do was prove himself as a fair caretaker and witch, and see what happened.

Thomas finished lighting the fire and sat back on his heels. He hadn’t drawn a circle; he wanted to mediate until the small flame died out. Then he’d relight it and begin speaking. He sat and breathed, listening to the forest around him, settling into himself. The fire flickered before him, but it wouldn’t go out for at least half an hour.

Thomas leaned over and grabbed wood for the fire; it had burned itself out. He built it back up slowly, setting up the wood the way his mother had taught him as a child. Lighting it again, Thomas stood up, inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

It was time to begin.

“Foaamaos a'r ho ra'mos, roaamaos a'r ho oaam, roaamaos a'r ho ooamh, roaamaos a'r ho ramo, rliy oaosa'ms, I snooann a’ iya'au. I oasnn hoa iya'au ra'a'nn auna’ iya'aum rrosh oac fara'a'c llah nnacoss oac ghauaco rlo a’ oa a'rlnoaaa’ llha’ llarr oassas rlo a ho lloaiys a'r a'rc.” Thomas ignored all other sounds around him; he had to focus. “Creature del mondo, parlo ora a te. Ti offro compagnia e cura in cambio della tua compagnia. Sono una strega semplice, giovane e solo semi-allenata, ma imparerò al tuo fianco e spero di imparare da te come spero che imparerai da me.” There were a few animals gathering around in a loose circle, but Thomas continued to ignore them.

“Maiorum, mea familia spirituum, guide placet mihi nota est, ut animus meus eris et enutries me nomen in propriis nota.” The fire was almost out. He had to hurry. “Thoann iya'au, snamas, ra’m iya'aum oassasoao a has rloaom. I ha'no rliy oaaa’s llarr ca’ iya'au nma'auc oac gharro iya'au a’ mooasa’ a’ moghmo hornagh rlo.” Thomas closed his eyes and breathed out as the fire burned its last. He opened them when he felt something nuzzling his leg: A lynx. Reddish-gold, looking like it had come out of a snowfall, with black on its tail and ears.

“Hello, my friend,” Thomas whispered. The lynx looked up at him, hazel eyes regarding him carefully. Then it looked up, Thomas following its gaze. An eagle

circled above them before settling on a tree branch. All the other animals in the area had slunk away. Thomas had his familiars.

“Well, would you like to come with me and see your new home?” He’d have to pick up an eagle habitat on the way. Or maybe Minho would grab one for him and bring it to his apartment.

“Later, we’ll have pick names for you.” Thomas glanced at his familiars. “It’s a two-hour drive back to my home.” He glanced at the eagle. “I’ll leave the window open so you can fly in and out as you wish.” The lynx he couldn’t do anything for. The eagle didn’t seem to mind much either way, simply settling on the armrest of the passenger seat with the lynx curling up on the seat. Before he started driving, Thomas sent Minho a quick text. 

“Two familiars? Called it, Thomas.” Minho stood in the center of his apartment, grinning ear to ear. “The eagle perch is just out there, and I got some lynx stuff, too.”

“Thanks, Minho.”

“Have you decided on names yet?”

“No. I think that’s what we’re going to do this evening.”

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Minho turned to Thomas’s familiars. “It was a pleasure meeting you.” The lynx rubbed up against Thomas’s leg. 

“Okay, now you two need names, and then I need to register you with the city.” The eagle cawed once and flew out to its perch.

“Okay, that leaves you.” Thomas looked at the lynx. “I have no idea how this familiar thing works.” There were rumors of people who could speak with their familiars, but that occurred over a lifetime of bonding. “Let’s start with names.” Thomas reached to pet the lynx, who preened and allowed it. “What do you think, my lady?” Thomas paused. He didn’t know if either of his familiars was a girl. It seemed he’d gotten it right, though, for the lynx merely rubbed her head against his hand.

“Do you like the title?” He asked. She purred, so he guessed that meant yes. “Well, purr if you like the name, then.” He started listing of names, things like Susan, Ellery, Emma, Clarissa, Isabelle, Maia, Ellen, Samantha, Maria, and Hazel. No response.

“What do you want, then, mademoiselle?” Thomas asked. “Would you prefer to named Marmalade?” She reared back and lightly scratched him. “Maybe… Merlot? Or…” Thomas trailed off. “Would you like one of my ancestor’s names? I have a family tree on my computer.” He pulled up the tree and looked it over.

“See, here they are. The farthest back we can trace my grandmother’s line is to Kiana Airspring, and I have a Kiana on my father’s side as well.” He turned the computer to face her, and the lynx stared at it for a minute before blinking and looking at him. Right… he knew familiars were more intelligent than most animals but that didn’t mean they could read. He started to read aloud the names of his ancestors, but the lynx purred immediately.

“You like Kiana? Well, how about Mademoiselle Kiana?” The Kiana in question had been a princess of the fairy realms, but he didn’t need to tell her that.

“What about our friend the eagle?” Thomas asked, glad he had one name sorted out. The newly-named Kiana jumped off the desk and padded out to where the eagle was.

“Hello.” Thomas pulled out his phone and did an image search, quickly discarding several types. “You’re a golden eagle, right?” He asked after a few minutes of looking through pictures. The eagle seemed to nod, at least. “Kiana took one of my ancestor’s names. Would you like to do the same? I have a great-something grandmother named Ivory.” He knew that going based off definitive color features might not be the best idea, but it was simple. Kiana preened, and the eagle … glared? at her before nodded its head at him. “I’m glad we got that settled. Now I have to register you both with the city and for that, we have to visit a familiar veterinarian. There’s a clinic just down the street, so we can walk.”

“New familiars?” The secretary raised an eyebrow at them. “You’re lucky there’s not a line tonight. City-raised or wild-born?”

“Wild-born.” Thomas took two green forms from the desk and sat down to fill them out, Kiana lounging at his feet and Ivory settling on his shoulder. He filled out the basic information: name, sex, species, subspecies, where located, brief physical description, and left the rest for the vet.

“Thomas Thornspring?” The vet glanced at him when she saw the name. “Still carrying a fairy name, son?”

“Yes.” It was a combination of two names from his mother’s side.

“And your familiars are not inherited?”

“No.”

“Alright. Let’s start with Ivory. A fine golden eagle, I see.” The vet continued muttering under her breath as she looked over Ivory. “She’ll need her vaccinations, being wild-born. We can take care of that today.” Thomas nodded, watching her mark a few things on the green sheet.

“Amber, I need you to start the golden eagle vaccinations.” The vet turned to Thomas. “Amber will take care of Ivory while I look at your Mademoiselle Kiana.” There were two tables, with a curtain that could be drawn back between them, for times like this. Kiana was a picture-perfect patient, sitting still and allowing the vet to check her over.

“She’ll need her vaccinations as well, I assume.” Amber, the vet’s aid, was almost finished with Ivory.

“Yes,” Thomas answered.

“I’ll take care of that. Amber knows how to file my notes, and she’ll start the registration process for you.” Thomas waited while Amber typed up the notes, scanned in the green forms, took record of the vaccines, and finally printed out the forms he needed to sign.

"Sign here and here, on both forms, and we’ll file them for you.” Thomas signed in his shaky cursive.

“You’re free to go, Mr. Thornspring.” Amber pulled out a bag of treats and gave Kiana and Ivory two each. “Do you have everything you need for them? Food, care kit? If not, we do supply a free care and food kit once a month. It’s not everything you need, but you get one for each familiar food and it’ll help if you’re short on cash.” Thomas nodded. There were some weeks when he could hardly afford to feed himself.

“I’ll grab those for you.” Amber ducked into the back for a few minutes. “Alright, see you next month!” Thomas waved on his way out.

“How would you two feel about attending a ritual with me tomorrow? It’s with my friend Minho, he brought your stuff over. It’s at his apartment, and his familiar, Cherry, will be there.” Thomas explained. Kiana stretched and Ivory tilted her head, so he guessed that was a yes. 

“Okay then. We’ll head over there tomorrow morning.” Thomas finished setting up their bedding in his room; Minho had said Cherry hadn’t started curling up with him for a few months, but she’d liked to be in his room even so.

Thomas let himself in. He heard Teresa’s voice, laughing, and Brenda murmuring a response. 

“Yay! Thomas is here! We can finish this ritual!” Teresa clapped her hands together. “Oh, and he brought some friends.” She narrowed her eyes at Thomas.

“This is Kiana,” He petted his lynx, “and this is Ivory. Kiana prefers the title.” Ivory flew around the room and settled back on his shoulder. “Can we start now? I’ve got work today.”

“Yes, of course. The circle’s already drawn.” Minho placed a hand on Thomas’s free shoulder and smiled at him. “If we’re going to be spending so much time together, Thomas, we might look into sharing an apartment.” Thomas just nodded. He’d been thinking about that too.

“It’d have to be big enough for three familiars, and I want a ritual room.”

“Let’s get on with the spell, okay?” Brenda said, looking confused. Teresa, on the other hand, looked utterly gleeful.

“What do we need to wear for this part?” Thomas asked.

“These.” Teresa produced two finely-woven robes, both with white and gold designs on them, trimmed oddly: Purple for the sleeves, red for the collar, and blue for the bottom hem. They changed quickly. Today was the last day of the ritual, after this they could do as they pleased.

“Alright. You say the first piece together, and then switch off on the last two, however you feel like speaking.” They took their places outside the circle, smiling at each other.

“Από εδώ και πέρα, σας θεωρώ ως σύντροφο ζωής μου. Θα σας τιμήσω και θα σας στηρίξω. Θα παραμείνω δίπλα σας σε κακουχίες, για να μπορέσουμε να ολοκληρώσουμε ό, τι δεν μπορούσαμε να κάνουμε μόνοι μας. Υπόσχομαι να δουλέψω στην αγάπη μας και να σας δώσω προτεραιότητα στη ζωή μου. Με κάθε κτύπο της καρδιάς μου, κάθε αναπνοή στους πνεύμονές μου, κάθε βήμα, θα σε αγαπώ. Αυτός ο επίσημος όρκος που σας απευθύνω.” Their voices rose and fall in a strange harmony.

Σήμερα, παντρεύω τον μεγαλύτερο εμπιστευτικό μου, τον μεγαλύτερο φίλο μου, τον αγαπημένο μου.” Minho spoke alone.

“Σήμερα, παντρεύω κάποιον με τον οποίο θα γελάσω και θα κλάψω, κάποιος που θα παραμείνει για πάντα στην καρδιά μου.” Thomas finished, breathing, ready for the flames to pull him inside to stand with Minho. He leaned up, not sure why, and pressed a kiss to Minho’s lips as the voice spoke: “Come è stato detto, è fatto.” As it has been said, it is done. Minho wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close as they prepared to be pulled out of the circle.

“Come è stato detto, è fatto.” Thomas murmured, hearing Minho’s voice echo his, but he said it twice. They waited until the flames had died down before stepping out, hand in hand.

“What was that?” Teresa asked. Brenda had filmed the whole thing, of course.

“The end,” Thomas told her, still smiling. “And the beginning.”

“That made very little sense,” Teresa told him. “I didn’t know you and Minho were moving in together.”

“It’s a new thing, we just started talking about it,” Minho told her. “I’d like to give Kiana and Ivory time to settle into the city before we do anything about that.”

“Then you can move in with me and rent out your place while we look,” Thomas suggested.

“But the gym…” Minho whined.

“You’re right, we’ll need a place that has a gym.” Thomas nodded. “I’m going to go change. What’s wrong, Teresa?” Teresa had paled significantly.

“I think I know what this ritual was for.”

“We do too, Teresa,” Minho told her. “We figured it out the other night when Thomas was translating some of it. It wouldn’t have worked if we weren’t both willing, and we decided we were. We’ll have to use more normal channels, as well, if we plan on making it official, but we don’t mind.”

“Teresa, you know I’ve liked Minho for a long time. Circumstances just never worked out in a way that brought us together. But now, thanks to your ritual, they have.” Thomas looped an arm through Minho’s. He had wondered how long it would take Teresa to realize they had been dating before this.

“Teresa, they’ve been lying to us,” Brenda smirked at Thomas. “I think they started dating before this happened.”

“We’d been dating for a month or so, didn’t want to say anything. And now we’re married, and happy, so it all works out. Please, Teresa, wipe that look off your face. I’d like to go cuddle with my husband.” Minho subtly steered Teresa and Brenda out of the apartment, then deposited Thomas on the couch. 

“They’re going to have a great time telling everyone,” Minho remarked as he brought out popcorn.

“Yeah, they will.” Thomas chuckled before shooting up. “Minho, where’s my phone?”

“Why?”

“My parents are going to be pissed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Welcome to day two of Thominho Week.   
> First off, would you like to see a more traditional marriage between Thomas and Minho after the events of this fic? LEt me know!  
> Thanks for reading,  
> Phoenix  
> Translations below if you want to read them:
> 
> First piece of the spell:
> 
> May this bring you closer together, kinder in heart and fonder in mind, by uniting you as one.  
> May your bond grow ever stronger, may you be ever present in each other’s minds.  
> May this deed, when done, be done willingly and with consent, for it will make ties hold firm and love everlasting.  
> As this marriage stands, undivided, may you feel the waves of trouble and bear them well, never sinking, afloat on love. 
> 
> Second piece:  
> With you, I will try new and unusual things. I will show you daily my love, my care. I am imperfect, as we all are, but still I pledge to respectful of your unique talents, interests, abilities, and quirks. I believe in you and all your dreams.  
> We will laugh more than we cry, love each other through rain, wind, and sunshine-filled days. I am grateful for every moment I am fortunate enough to spend with you. 
> 
> Third piece:  
> From here forth, I take you as my life companion. I will honor and support you. I will stand by you through hardship, so that we may accomplish together what we could not alone. I promise to work at our love and make you a priority in my life. With every beat of my heart, every breath in my lungs, every step, I will love you. This solemn vow I make to you.  
> Today, I marry my greatest confidant, my greatest friend, my most beloved.  
> Today, I marry one with whom I will laugh and cry, one who will remain forever in my heart.
> 
> Thomas’s familiar spell, roughly (The beginning and end aren’t technically any language at all, so those are from memory as to what I wrote):
> 
> Spirits of air, fire, and earth, I speak to you. I ask you to guide me to a creature who will become my willing companion.
> 
> Creatures of the world, I speak to you now. I offer you shelter and care in exchange for your company. I am a simple, young and only semi-trained witch, but I will learn by your side and I hope to learn from you as I hope you will learn from me.
> 
> Ancestors, guide to me my familiar; know that it is my intention to accept on terms not my own.
> 
> Thank you, spirits, for being a guide for me today.
> 
> And that’s about it! Everything I didn’t make up is translated with Google Translate.


End file.
